Himachal: 104 roads blocked due to rain and snowfall, yellow alert issued

As many as 104 roads and three national highways were blocked in Himachal Pradesh due to snowfall and rain on Saturday, according to the state emergency operation centre. As per the data released, 99 roads have been closed in Lahaul and Spiti, three roads have been blocked in Kullu, one in Chamba, and Kangra each. Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority further stated that a bridge has been washed away due to rain in Kangra. "The new bridge is likely to be constructed by this month," an official statement read. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for thunderstorms with lightning at isolated places on April 22 and 23 in several parts of Himachal Pradesh. The yellow alert indicates severely bad weather spanning several days. It also suggests that the weather could change for the worse, causing disruption in day-to-day activities.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also predicted an above-normal rainfall season across the country during the southwest monsoon. According to IMD's forecast released earlier this week, the seasonal June to September rainfall is expected to be above normal, with quantitative estimates indicating it could reach 106 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA). The LPA for the period 1971-2020 stands at 87 cm.

IMD's announcement comes amidst prevailing moderate El Nino conditions over the equatorial Pacific region. However, the latest projections from the Monsoon Mission Climate Forecast System (MMCFS) and other climate models suggest a weakening of the El Nino condition to neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions in the early part of the monsoon season. According to a press release, IMD said that the northern hemisphere snow cover extent during the last three months (January to March 2024) has been below normal. Such deviations from the norm in snow cover extent could influence weather patterns, including the forthcoming monsoon season.